Supplemental Draft: Rapids select Griffiths, Pinho, David, and Castro

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (Tuesday, January 22, 2013) – The Colorado Rapids selected four players today in the 2013 MLS Supplemental Draft. Jamaican international Brenton Griffiths was selected 25th overall, followed by Stefano Souza Pinho from Brazil with the 37th overall pick, Nigerian midfielder Machael David 44th overall and Marcello Castro, also of Brazil, with the 63rd overall selection.

Griffiths, a defender from Spanish Towne, Jamaica, played his junior and senior seasons at the University of South Florida, scoring four goals in 36 games for the Bulls. His first two seasons were spent at Tyler Junior College in Texas, where he helped guide the squad to the 2009 and 2010 NJCAA National Championship while also leading the Apache to a 41-0-1 record during his two years. Griffiths has also played for the Jamaican Under-17 and Under-20 National Teams,

Pinho, from São João Nepomuceno, Brazil, is a left-sided winger who began his soccer career in Brazil with Belo Horizonte club Tupi. At the age of 15 he joined Fluminense where he played for the U-16 and U-20 teams before joining the first team and winning the Campeonato Carioca in 2012, and later going on loan to Guaratinguetá of the Brazilian Serie B.

David is a midfielder from the University of Santa Barbara, where he played 66 matches for the Gauchos, scoring three goals and adding 10 assists in his four years. Originally from Kwame, Nigeria and growing up there and in Milan, Italy, David moved to the U.S. at 17 and later was named to the All-Big West First Team in 2010 and Second Team in 2009, as well as 2009 Big West Freshman of the Year.

Castro, a defender from Sacred Heart University, earned NSCAA All-American Third Team honors for his defensive performance during his senior year. He was also the NEC Player of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year in 2011, earning First Team All-NEC honors as well. During his four years with Sacred Heart, he scored 23 goals, good for fifth on the all-time SHU record.